French Provincial Cooking - Elizabeth David [187]
Whoever invented that sauce knew what he was doing. It is remarkably well constructed, it has bones, guts and balance; its flavour is certainly original, but it is stimulating without being discordant, and one way and another this is the sauce I have adopted for cold lobster in preference to any other.
LANGOUSTE COMME CHEZ NÉNETTE
This is the variation of langouste à /a sètoise, in its turn a variation of homard à l’américaine, about which I have written in the introductory notes concerning the specialities of the Languedoc on pages 53-4 of this book.
‘Cut a live crawfish into not too large pieces; put them at once into a wide and shallow pan containing a little smoking olive oil, add salt and pepper and cook until the shell turns red. Add some finely chopped shallots and a clove or two of garlic, crushed and first cooked separately in a little oil.
‘Pour in a small glass of good cognac and set light to it; when the flames have gone out, add a half bottle of still champagne or chablis, and a spoonful of tomato purée. Cover the pan and cook over a steady fire for about 20 minutes. Remove the pieces of crawfish, which are now cooked, and keep them hot.
“Press the sauce through a very fine sieve, let it boil up again, season with a scrap of cayenne and, at the last minute, add 3 good spoonfuls of aïoli.
‘Pour the sauce over the crawfish and sprinkle a little finely-chopped parsley over the dish.’
CIVET DE LANGOUSTE
‘The langouste (crawfish), divided in pieces, is treated as described for langouste à l’américaine, the quantity of tomato being increased and a strong flavouring of garlic added.’
This note is given by Prosper Montagné in the Larousse Gastronomique, and he also observes that the dish belongs to the Cuisine Catalane et du Languedoc.
LANGOUSTE À LA CRÈME AU GRATIN
CRAWFISH OR ROCK LOBSTER WITH CREAM AND WHITE WINE SAUCE
Quantities for two people: 1 medium-sized hen crawfish, about 3 oz. of double cream, 1 teaspoon flour, 4 tablespoons dry white wine, 1 teaspoon brandy, 1 heaped teaspoon of French mustard, butter, dried or fresh tarragon, breadcrumbs, seasonings.
Have the cooked crawfish split in half and the claws cracked by the fishmonger. Scoop out all the coral and the creamy meat and set aside. Take the flesh from the tail, cut into neat scallops, return to the half shells, and put these in an oval gratin dish.
Prepare the sauce by melting about oz. of butter in a thick saucepan. Stir in the flour; when it is smooth add the white wine; let this bubble quite fast for half a minute; stir in the mustard, then the cream (reserving one tablespoon), and when it is thick, the brandy (because it is not in this case flamed, a teaspoon is enough; more would overpower the other flavours). Season with a very little salt, freshly-ground pepper, a scrap of Cayenne, and half a teaspoon of chopped fresh or dried tarragon. Leave over a low flame while you pound the coral with the reserved cream. Stir this into the sauce, giving it a turn or two over the fire. Spoon it over the crawfish so that all the meat is quite covered. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs; pour over a little melted butter. Put in a low oven for 10 minutes, covered, so that it heats through gently, then finish under the hot grill until the surface starts to blister and bubble.
LANGOUSTINES EN BROCHETTES
GRILLED DUBLIN BAY PRAWNS
For each person have half a dozen tails of freshly-boiled Dublin Bay prawns. Take them from the shells without breaking them, season them with pepper and lemon juice, paint them with just melted butter, thread them on to small skewers, putting a whole mushroom head, also seasoned and buttered, between each. Grill them gently, turning the skewers round once or twice.
Serve either on a bed of rice cooked as for the mussel dish on page 320, or by themselves with a sauce béarnaise, hollandaise or bretonne. You can, of course, use frozen Dublin Bay prawns,